Not every monster in the Godzilla franchise is a force to be reckoned with in the same vein as the King of the Monsters. In more than six decades, the world of Godzilla has introduced audiences to a multitude of kaiju, many of which being creatures capable of going toe to toe with him in a fight. However, for one reason or another, there’s a few in the franchise whose power levels don’t live up to their reputations.
Naturally, the Godzilla universe includes both strong and weak monsters. There are clear gaps between many of the creatures in the power structure of the movies, with kaiju like Godzilla, Destoroyah, and King Ghidorah obviously occupying the top spots. Toward the bottom are creatures such as Kamacuras, Minilla, and Ebirah. But in their cases, it’s not all that surprising that they’re no match for Godzilla. Interestingly, though, the franchise includes a number of monsters with capabilities that are often overestimated. In fact, six kaiju from Godzilla’s movies aren’t nearly as strong as they’re commonly believed to be.
Mechagodzilla (MonsterVerse)
Near victories or stalemates against Godzilla in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S, and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla have cemented Mechagodzilla’s status as one of the strongest villains in the series. The MonsterVerse properly honored his legacy in Godzilla vs. Kong with a menacing portrayal of the character that actually managed to beat Godzilla in a one-on-one fight. While a win over Godzilla under any circumstances is impressive, it’s not a moment that proves Mechagodzilla is the stronger monster. The fight may have created the impression among that Godzilla found his better in Mechagodzilla, but that’s not the case at all.
As Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard has confirmed, Godzilla’s loss can be attributed to his fatigue. Not only did he fight Kong twice, but he also used up a great deal of energy blasting a hole to the Hollow Earth. Physically drained, Godzilla wasn’t at full strength when he fought Mechagodzilla. Had he had not been so tired, it stands to reason that Kong’s assistance wouldn’t have been needed.
Godzilla (1998)
It may come as no surprise that Hollywood’s first take on Godzilla, seen in Roland Emmerich’s 1998 reboot, is the weakest out of all 11 live-action versions of Godzilla. But that statement alone doesn’t define just how low his power level really is. At the end of the movie, the military kills Godzilla by firing missiles at him. Arguably the most common form of retaliation against any monster in the Godzilla universe, what the military did in the 1998 film most likely wouldn’t phased any of Godzilla’s villains or allies in Toho’s movies. Based on that, it’s hard to imagine the 1998 Godzilla besting any of his Toho counterpart’s foes.
Anguirus
Although Anguirus is rightly regarded as one of Godzilla’s best allies, it’s not really to fair call him his strongest asset in battle. Liked more for his sense of loyalty and design than his power level, Anguirus has been on the wrong side of multiple, lop-sided battles in the Godzilla franchise. The beatings he’s taken from Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, Ghidorah, and Gigan go to show that the lovable kaiju is far from a powerhouse. He can be helpful when providing assists to Godzilla, but has yet to prove he can hold his own in single combat against another monster. It’s for this reason that their victory over Gigan and Ghidorah in Godzilla vs. Gigan was carried by Godzilla.
Mothra
Mothra is renowned as a monster who, despite her small frame, has bravely overcome the might of Godzilla himself. The problem with this perception of the kaiju is that it’s not a completely honest look at Mothra’s history. In truth, she’s never fairly beaten Godzilla. Mothra died when they fought for the first time in Mothra vs. Godzilla. After her death, Godzilla was subdued by her larvaes’ silk, but it took both of her offspring to take him off the board. Similarly, Mothra had to team up with Battra to take Godzilla down in the Heisei era’s Godzilla vs. Mothra. In neither movie did she stand a chance at beating him alone.
Her record against Godzilla only got worse after that. She was outright killed by Godzilla in both Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. and Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack. The MonsterVerse offered a more physically threatening depiction of Mothra by giving the creature a stinger, but even that wasn’t enough to keep her alive. Mothra’s big moment in Godzilla: King of the Monsters – stabbing Rodan – was touted as a win, but in reality, she was fatally injured by Rodan’s fire attacks before Ghidorah obliterated her. As for Rodan, he survived his wounds.
Biollante
Along with Destoroyah, Biollante is easily one of the most popular one-off villains in Godzilla’s movies. Supported by a great design and a tragic origin, Biollante helped create one of the best Godzilla films to come out of the Heisei era. As one of the few monsters that can tower over Godzilla as well as a creature that can regenerate from nearly any wound, the plant-like monster brings a lot to the table when it comes to fighting. But while there’s no denying Biollante’s status as a compelling and nuanced villain, she doesn’t match up against Godzilla nearly as well as her abilities and design might suggest. After all, it shouldn’t be forgotten that their final battle was significantly shorter than most Godzilla showdowns.
King Caesar
Godzilla may have been the star of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, but the film’s human story put in a lot of effort to make King Caesar feel like the real hero. Discussed throughout the movie, King Caesar was played up to be the all-powerful savior of humanity who would defend civilization from Mechagodzilla. When he finally did emerge at the end of the movie, the kaiju certainly did leave an impression with his martial arts moves and mouth beam attack. His ensuing team-up with Godzilla and unique fighting style made him a fan-favorite, regardless of the fact that his performance in the fight was disappointing to say the least.
The movie set him up to defeat Mechagodzilla, but in the end, he was grossly outmatched, forcing Godzilla to do most of the heavy lifting in their battle. King Caesar admittedly had his moments, but they were overshadowed by the fact that Godzilla had to save him from Mechagodzilla. What’s more, the franchise never gave King Caesar a better outing. His only movie appearance after that, Godzilla: Final Wars, saw the monster take a quick and embarrassing loss to Godzilla alongside both Rodan and Anguirus.
